In terms of travel companions, I have ticked many of the boxes when it comes to the variety; from girls trips, to family holidays, baecations & living internationally…but one thing I hadn’t done until this year was travel solo.
I am definitely a go-with-my-heart-and-not-my-head type of person, and so many of my travels tend to be spur of the moment. The only criteria that really ever matters when I’m planning to go abroad are 1. Can I afford it? and 2. Can I get the time off work? If I was writing this let’s say, 6 months ago, the third consideration would be who I’m going with and do our schedules and pockets align?; which more times than none is the reason for delays in the booking process (but fear no more!)
Let me tell you why travelling alone is one of the best things I’ve ever done:
One. In direct reference to the above - there is no dilly-dallying! No waiting around for others to agree on a destination, a suitable timeframe, a budget, etc. Everything is on your accord - and if you’re a bit of a control freak like me, nothing gets better than this!
This is also true once you’ve arrived. You can see & do whatever you want. On my first solo trip to Crete earlier this year, I set out with a basic itinerary (to which I barely even followed), breakfast - or brunch in most cases - was at whatever time I decided, I ate what I want, went where I wanted and all at my own pace.
[Side note: girls trips are 99.9% likely to end in a fallout or some awkward tension between at least two of the parties, and probably on the simple basis of disagreeing on said things. Dramz we don’t need in 2018 ladies!]
Two. Plus, you never know who else you might meet. Travelling solo opens up the doors to interactions with others around you and perhaps other solo travellers which you probably wouldn’t pay any mind to if you was out with your boo or besties. I read this in many other blogs when I was planning my trip, and though I didn’t think the likelihood of this happening was very high, I can vouch that this did indeed happen while I was away. It’s a great way to make new connections (personal and/or professional) & may also provide future travel opportunities to the places you meet people from, now that you have friends across the globe!
Three. Mingling with the locals is a bonus - yes, it can be daunting at first but I can’t even express the satisfaction this brings. In the current state of the world that we live in, it’s quite a warming feeling to mix with people & cultures so different to your norm. Language barriers can create some difficulty in conversations of course, but a smile or a laugh is the same in every language and it does do something for my soul, I must admit.
Four. There is no better time than now! I am the biggest advocate of your 20s being your selfish years and nothing makes me more shook than not doing all the things I wish for myself before I really have to grow up. Let’s face it, the concept of adulting isn’t that much fun at all and we’re at a point where we still have freedom to some extent, so imagine not living truly for yourself while you can?
Five. My fifth and final point has to be my favourite given the current journey to my best self that I’m on…
**Self-actualisation** - you pretty much have to be someone who can really be content within themselves to be able to spend a sustained amount of time in your own company - across borders & away from any sort of home comforts. For me personally, time spent alone is the best time to reflect inwards. Being alone and abroad = stepping away from reality, and not having anything else to worry about. The whole experience is heightened by your surroundings and I can undoubtedly promise you growth the more you immerse yourself. I discovered so much about myself in just the 4 days that I spent in Greece, and I arrived back home with a fresh outlook & renewed motivation to simply live life to my own satisfaction.
Being fully dependent on myself was such a liberating feeling, and it was one of many experiences that have shown me that the world is truly your oyster.
This is my testimony to say if you want to go somewhere…just go, make it happen any way that you can! The world is too big and beautiful to not explore, but if the idea of travelling 'xxxx' miles alone scares you, maybe start off small and go somewhere close to home or a destination that you’ve been before and have some familiarity with, or perhaps the thought excites you to seek out far away places?
I can’t wait to travel solo again in the future and would love to hear any recommended destinations you may have, also feel free to ask any questions or drop a comment in the box below!
xoxo
Miah
